


Day 4: Miscommunication

by Valedoceanlover



Series: dicktigerweek2020 [4]
Category: Grayson (Comics), Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: Dick Grayson is Demisexual, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Established Relationship, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Relationship Problems, Romani Dick Grayson, Secret Relationship, Some Swearing, Tiger is Patron, late to the party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:29:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22914013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valedoceanlover/pseuds/Valedoceanlover
Summary: Long distance relationships can be draining, even more so when only one person is trying.
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Tiger
Series: dicktigerweek2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1642267
Comments: 1
Kudos: 31





	Day 4: Miscommunication

Things are falling apart. No matter what I try. Tiger feels like he’s getting more distant. Yes, long distance relationships take more work, more patience. But I’m at my wits end. 

We haven’t seen each other face to face without some mission being involved for months, and as soon as it’s over he’s in the wind again. 

I’ve set up dates; he’s never shown up, and call at least once a week, I’m sure I’m probably getting annoying but at least I’m fucking trying to make this work. 

A grunt comes over the phone, the same disinterested one I’ve been getting for months. Their used to be a time when he’d actually talk, we’d have real conversations. It’s been so long now and I’m exhausted. 

“Tiger?” I sigh running a hand through my hair. Another disinterested Grunt. A small resigned chuckle escapes me. “Tiger are you happy? With us?” Silence on the other end. Tears start to form in my eyes and my breath hitches. “Tig please, if you want this, us, you don’t have to say you-.” I cut myself of “Please if you think this can work, want this to work just; just say my name, please?” 

Silence. Tears cascade down my face, I quiet my breath as much as I can and concentrate on the other line. 

Complete silence. After what feels to be an eternity, I hang up. A sob rips from my lungs. 

* * *

I’m going through reports, mission statuses, and occurrences that may need Spyrals attention. One I read again, I’ll have to pull out agents fourteen and nine, if they don’t finish their current assignment early, their expertise will be best suited for it. 

Grayson’s rambling on in my ear, it feels as though he wants a response, I grunt in acknowledgment though the entire conversation has been in one ear and out the other. Hm, agents seventeen and twenty ones mission is taking longer than anticipated, I may need to send someone else to help them finish-

“Tiger, are you happy?” Grayson cuts through my train of thought. I’m starting to miss being a regular agent, I almost admit. “With us?” Where the hell did that come from? Unease starts to settle in my stomach. I waited too long, trying to form a response to such an out of the blue question. “Tig please, if you want this, us, you don’t have to say you-” Love him; it’s something I haven’t dared to contemplate. “Please if you think this can work, want this to work, just. Just say my name, please?” It takes me milliseconds for me to process what he said, for the rock to form in my gut. His name’s on my lips-

The door to my office bursts open. The terrified expression on my agents face is all I need to know; it’s urgent. I quickly tuck my phone into one of my desk drawers, call still going and follow. 

* * *

Fury and panic swirl inside me as I reach my office. I swear some people can’t figure things out on their own. Yes it was urgent but there are at least ten others that could have dealt with the situation, instead of wasting my damned time. 

I crouch behind my desk, drawer left agar as I bring my phone to my ear. “Ryeka, Grayson.” I hold my breath and wait for some sign he heard me. “Richard.” Numbness starts to spread through me as my heart aches. “Grayson.” I dare to check the time the calls been going, forty five minutes. We had only been speaking for a few when we were interrupted; no more than ten minutes could have passed. I end the call. 

Calling him back I cling to hope as his phone rings. I get his answering machine. “Ryeka, Dick, Richard John Grayson- Wayne, please” I beg. “Please call be back.” It feels as though the grounds been ripped from under me as the minutes pass and resignation sets in. 

* * *

It’s been weeks and he hasn’t returned any of my calls. He used to always pick up, no matter the time or how busy he was. I lost track how many of them had gunfire going off in the background. 

I spot Midnighter at a café; he’s out of costume of course, but enjoying his beverage on the patio. Grayson claimed they were friends, even as they engaged in flirtatious behavior. I wonder if they still do or even more so now that were…

My hands clench. “What can I do for you, Agent one? Or is it Patron now?” 

“It doesn’t matter what you call me.” 

“No? Than what can I help you with?” 

“I need to barrow your phone.” 

“Excuse me?” His eyebrows shoot up. 

“I need to talk to Grayson.” 

“Need or want? They’re two very different things!” 

“M!” I growl. He rolls his eyes.

“Don’t you have his number?” I don’t know what’ll be worse; admitting I do or that Grayson’s ignoring me. Either way I have a feeling he already knows both. 

“He’s not answering.” 

“I wonder why?” He smugly comments. “Just call him on another phone.” 

“He doesn’t pick up numbers he doesn’t recognize.” He probably knows this, and is just being obtuse to piss me off. 

“So what, you want to use my phone? Afterwards he will probably never pick up my calls again!” The thought did cross my mind; it seemed to only be a positive. “No.” It’s a straight answer, one that leaves no room for argument. 

I try anyway. “Pleas-”

“No.” He moves his hand to his gun, I leave it’s not worth getting shot. I still have other options. 

* * *

Other options are not panning out and the skull girls are now throwing me death glares whenever they can for ruining their contact with their second favorite teacher. 

* * *

It takes a few months but I eventually manage to find a mission that takes me close enough to Blüdhaven I can spare some time to visit his apartment. 

Only it’s not his anymore. The new tenants say they’ve been there for weeks. My stomach drops, whether it was to hide from me or just his compulsion to change his living space as often as he can, doesn’t matter. I’ve missed him, and have no idea where he could be now. 

Helena when I go to see her simply laughs and slams the door in my face. It hurts a little since she’s the one who encouraged us… me, in the first place. 

* * *

Mission done I stall as long as I can in the hopes of finding Nightwing on his patrol. My last chance to find him without doing something that will inevitably come back to bite me in the ass. 

It takes a while but eventually he comes into view, flittering above the rooftops. Observing till I’m sure what direction he’s going in. I find roof access to a stairwell in his path. 

The locks picked in seconds, once I’m in I check the enclosed space for any cameras. Finding none I wait by the slightly ajar door for him to pass. 

The crunching of the gravel roof alerts me to his presence, a flash of blue as he passes. I grab his wrist pulling him inside, he’s off balance and I manage to push him to the back way, out of view of the entrance. “Richard.” His name falls from my lips in reverence, hope filling my chest till it feels it will burst. 

But there’s something wrong with how shock forms on his face. Details start to process in my brain as cold panic shoots through me, swiftly turning to rage. He’s features are off and skin far to pale. Whoever this is their inches too tall and skinny. I curse myself for revealing Nightwings name to this impostor. 

My hand moves to his throat, squeezing as venom fills my words. “Where. Is. He?” The impostor struggles. Kicking and shoving trying to break my hold. I don’t budge. “Where is Nightwing?” I squeeze ever tighter till they croak. 

“Benched!” The words so quiet it barely passes their lips. 

“Why?” There struggling to form sounds so I loosen my grip slightly. 

“Br-broken le-g.” He breaks free of my hold, catching themselves on one of the side walls doubling over as coughs rip from their body. The glare they send me could turn a lesser man’s knees to jelly. 

Clumsily they rip something from their ear, and toss it at me. They body check me as they pass in the cramped space, hand to their neck. Disappearing down the stairs. 

Once I feel they’ve gotten far enough away I bring the device, a communicator, to my ear. 

The cold fury in Grayson’s voice chills me to my core. “One. If you **ever** hurt my family again I swear, I’ll break every bone in your body and leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere to die a slow and very painful death.” Involuntarily I gulp, knowing that his words despite the policies of batman are a hundred percent true. 

“And two?” There’s silence on the other end. 

“What the hell?” There’s nothing but bewilderment in his tone. 

“We need to talk.” 

“Do we?” 

“Yes.” I hope he can hear my conviction, my plea. “Usual methods of communication were rearing nothing-”

“So you strangle my brother?!” 

“I reacted rashly.” 

“And I blocked you.” My emails, my calls. No wonder he never got fed up and responded. 

“Please, Richard. I…” The word won’t form. “Please.” I settle on. 

“I gave you a chance! If it took you this long to decide-”Anger rises in me. 

“It took me milliseconds!” I spit. “But you have a tendency to call when I’m in the middle of work!” He’s quiet for a few minutes. 

“You’re trying to say you work twenty-four-seven. You don’t get any breaks?” 

“Grayson,-” 

“No, you’re saying as your own fucking boss, that there’s no time at all, you can take a phone call? That you can’t take three hours to go into the city and have a date!” 

“It’s never been a good time-”

“And it never will! Not for people like us! But you can at least tell me you won’t even attempt to show up. **Before** I take a flight over the Atlantic and waist my own damn time!” Guilt hits me at that. If I had known, or even paid enough attention to look at the location…

“Can we talk in person?” 

He sighs. “How much time do you have?” I check my watch. 

“I need to be at the airport in half an hour.” 

“I’m in the Batcave; you wouldn’t make it in time.” Disappointment hits like a tidal wave. I haven’t seen him in so long. 

“How about you call when it’s a good time for you?” 

“Okay.” 

“Tiger before you do, you need to know I can give us another try; but I won’t, can’t go through that again.” 

“You won’t I swear!” I mean it with every fiber of my being. 

“Is that a pinkie promise?” He forces levity into his voice and I sigh, relived. 

“Yeah, it’s a pinkie promise.” 

I leave the communicator at the top of the stairwell for his brother, once he gets board of the brick walls and wanders back up. 


End file.
